Pune, November 29, 2025 - A peculiar turn of events unfolded in the defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, concerning his alleged defamatory remarks against Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar. During a hearing at the special MP/MLA court in Pune, a CD presented as key evidence was found to be blank.

The case stems from a speech Gandhi delivered in London in March 2023, where he allegedly made disparaging comments about Savarkar. Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of V.D. Savarkar, filed a criminal defamation complaint, claiming Gandhi's remarks were objectionable and derogatory.

The courtroom drama occurred during the chief examination of Satyaki Savarkar on Thursday. A CD, purportedly containing a recording of the contentious London speech, was played, only to reveal that it contained no data. Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, representing Satyaki, expressed shock, stating the CD had been previously viewed by the court and had served as the basis for issuing summons to Gandhi. Kolhatkar noted the video in the CD was playing when submitted as evidence containing the alleged video along with the URL of the YouTube channel.

In response to the blank CD, Kolhatkar filed an application requesting the court to directly play the video from Gandhi's YouTube channel, even providing the link. However, Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Rahul Gandhi, strongly objected, arguing that online content is not automatically admissible as evidence.

Special Judge Amol Shinde sided with the defense, stating that the URL was not supported by a certificate as per Section 65-B of the Indian Evidence Act, rendering it inadmissible. This section mandates a certificate to authenticate electronic records for them to be accepted as evidence.

Kolhatkar then presented two additional CDs, urging the court to inspect them, but this application was also dismissed. According to the court, the "complainant had not filed any CD on record for court purposes" and that the CD in question "has been received by the accused". Kolhatkar sought an adjournment following the rejection.

Kolhatkar has requested a judicial inquiry to investigate how the CD, which functioned earlier, became blank. He stated that two more copies of the speech were legally prepared from the original CD and submitted to the court, with one copy provided to Gandhi's counsel.

This is not the only legal entanglement between Gandhi and Satyaki Savarkar. Rahul Gandhi has also filed a criminal defamation case against Satyaki Savarkar for allegedly providing false information to the court in a May 9 application to cancel Gandhi's bail bond. Gandhi's lawyer, Milind Pawar, had previously stated that the CD provided by Satyaki Savarkar had never worked.

The court is scheduled to hear the matter further, and the question of the missing video evidence remains a key point of contention.